Thursday TV - It's Back

After a three episode story arc wherein our hero becomes a pirate king and summarily spends every bit of the pirate's loot on incredible parties and threesomes with pirate-party babes (who may or may not've been prostitutes), super spy extraordinaire Sterling Archer returns tonight at 10pm on FX. Archer is a perfect example of when consistently good writing and well-developed (if not, at times, broadly drawn) characters can make a ridiculous concept and, frankly, silly situations into an uproariously hilarious program. The humor of the show does not lie in the mission at hand, nor in the main story arc that's unfolding. The true humor comes from the sharp, witty dialogue and the relationships the characters have with each other. You can bet we'll be watching tonight, as Archer returns to FX at 10pm EST.

Of course, no mention of Thursday television has ever been complete if one does not mention the perennially hilarious, infinitely rewatchable 30 Rock. The show started its sixth season (purportedly Baldwin's last with the show) last week with a vengeance, hitting all the right, laughable notes while showing us that the characters have continued to develop while our eyes were not glued to them; Jack Donaghy is settling into his role as patriarch-sans-matriarch, Liz Lemon has a new secret beau (that commercials have revealed to be James Marsden (and there's something wrong with him (of course there is))). Featuring the return of Kelsey Grammer and the aforementioned Marsden guest spot, 30 Rock is on NBC tonight at 8pm EST.

But wait, there's more:

The Daily Show - Stewart and O'Reilly Square Off

Bill O'Reilly made his 8th appearance on
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night.

On a promotional tour for his new book, "Killing Lincoln," Bill O'Reilly paid a visit to The Daily Show to square off with Jon Stewart. The televised portion was a back-and-forth about taxes where, after the conversation comes full circle, the two find an agreement in principle. "I don't mind paying 40% [in taxes]," O'Reilly said, "but first, they're going to have to stop wasting the money." After, O'Reilly moved to muffin talk, a story highlighting governmental waste. Par for the course, the debate raged on past the 30 minute run time of the program, and the second portion of the interview was put up on the internet.

The internet is where the conversation turned feisty, with both parties showing their teeth and planting their feet firmly on their platforms. There was a point, however,  when O'Reilly conceded that Wall Street was desperately in need of both blame and regulation even going so far as to agree he's a "democrat" on the matter. When O'Reilly raged about oppressive tax rates, Stewart began to discuss the economic inequality in America. This prompted O'Reilly to sarcastically say, "Shoot them." Stewart, as on point as ever, retorted, "I'm not saying we should shoot them, but we shouldn't act like returning to the tax rate of the 90s is class warfare on par with Lenin and Marx!"


Watch the videos after the jump.